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Medical testing on animals
Lori kicks off the show welcoming Dr. John Pippin, Director of Academic Affairs at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). As part of PCRM’s work to end the use of live animals in medical and veterinary training programs, it recently was informed that so-called terminal surgeries were being used at Tuskegee College of Veterinary Medicine.
Terminal surgery means that an animal, usually a dog or cat obtained from a shelter, is used for practice and training surgeries, and upon conclusion, killed.
Dr. Pippin explains how PCRM views this practice as antithetical to the values of Veterinarians, who have chosen their field because of their desire to help and not harm animals.
Furthermore, there now are many alternative scientifically validated training methods, which do not use live animals, taking advantage of realistic models, virtual reality and other simulations.
Dogs detecting cancer
Peter then welcomes author and journalist Maria Goodavage in support of her new book, Doctor Dogs – How Our Best Friends Are Becoming Our Best Medicine. Goodavage brings us fresh stories and profiles from around the globe, illustrating how dogs detect cancer, provide aid to people with seizures, assist those with post traumatic stress disorder, and help in dozens of other physical or mental conditions.
In this groundbreaking book, Goodavage brings us behind the scenes of cutting-edge science at top research centers, and into the lives of people whose well-being depends on their devoted, highly skilled personal MDs (medical dogs).
We conclude with news stories including a marathoner who literally picked up and finished her race while carrying a homeless dog she spotted during her run and celebrities receive praise for giving up fur. California Governor has signed into law a host of bills supporting animals including ones to strengthen anti horse slaughter laws, to protect human and animal victims of domestic violence, to eliminate use of small plastic bottles used for shampoos in hotels, to ban of trade of skins of many threatened species including sharks, hippos, caimans and others, to ban the use of wild animals in circuses, and to require animal companions on public transportation during emergency evacuations. As usual, California leads the way.
Thank you Physicians Committee for exposing a horrifyingly morbid subterfuge by the backward third-worldish Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine. This program needs to wake up from the dark ages and switch to cost-effective, educationally superior methods for training veterinarians today which do not involve the killing of animals. Their days of killing healthy animals taken by unethical and deceptive means are limited because that is the way PCRM has had gargantuan victories in medical schools and residency training programs.
Thank you, Dr. pippin for enlightening me on this horrible practice. I hope the USDA shuts down this practice at Tuskegee and other vet schools.